I'm off......!

[mgirishfan]

....to ProgPower!!!! Wooo-hoooo!

2 days, 10 bands, 15 rolls of film, and 1000 memories! Only one problem......Enchant isn't on the bill!!! !!

Ah well....I will especially enjoy SymX, Circle II Circle (aka Savatage, LOL! Even Jon is playing keys!!) and of course VANDEN PLAS!!!!

Rock on, everybody and have a great Friday!

Cheers!

 

[Sevlar]

Mare....news like that always makes me cry.
No shows here in Brazil, only Deep Purple!

 

[lizard]

I'm jealous....I'd love to see Vanden Plas and Evergrey.

But have a good time, and share some stories and pics when you get back!

 

[keeper of the flame]

Yeah, have fun!
I've seen Vanden Plas in Holland. Good show.
They aren't touring that much, so I was lucky to catch them live. Great that they play the US as well now. They could use some exposure.
And Evergrey as well, btw. Too bad that this band was only playing for about 100 people at the show I attended. But they put on a good show anyway.

 

[mgirishfan]

Well, everybody, I’m home!!! ProgPower IV is in the books! And here are my musings: from my first (but not my last!!!) ProgPower!! Pull up a chair and grab a drink, guys -- this is a mammoth post!

The Venue – Earthlink Live!: Awesome place!! Great location, easy to get to, hotels within walking distance -- all very cool. The place itself is great - the actual hall has a ton of theatre-style raked seats on a big semi circle and there is a floor for standing, plus there is an outer lobby which is a good bit quieter – a great set-up. Minuses were few – it was mighty chilly in there -- next year I’ll wear long sleeves, and it would be a good thing for them to install some little ‘Christmas tree lights’ along the many steep stairs – I saw lots of trips and stumbles in the dark! And it would be way cool if they fixed the sound system to stop that ear-piercing high pitched squeal that erupted a few times. Ouch!!!!! But I can’t complain – it’s a terrific venue, unlike anything I ever seen for this kind of show!!

The Vendors – tons and tons and tons of CD’s…Inside Out was there, so was Century Media, so was the Laser’s Edge (www.lasercd.com) and so was The End (www.theendrecords.com) along with a t-shirt booth with a bazillion shirts! The End actually had (and I snagged one!) the new Iron Maiden – woo hooo! Plus I got a pic with Jon at the Circle II Circle table….it was a good day!

The People - Met a million of them, all very cool. Definite hellos to Glenn Harveston (the god of ProgPower), Jaime, Jax, Bryant, Cindy, Chris, Anne Marie, Kathy, Britt and Brent and a bunch of other QR fans, the dude sitting next to us from Circle 9, the dude sitting behind us for intelligent commentary, the Savafan dudes from the SymX lunch, and although we didn't actually meet, "Karaoke Man" and Biffin, Everygrey's tech, made significant impressions! HOWEVER, I am seriously remiss if I forget to mention the dude who introduced me to ProgPower in the first place (and Enchant, for that matter) -- Dave! Thanks! Had a blast hanging with ya!



Now onto….the Show!!!

Day 1, Friday
Band 1 – Redemption: Well, I have this CD and have listened to it a few times – it is a good CD but isn’t in my heavy rotation. As it turns out, they did not equal the CD when they played live – well, truth be told, the different vocalist had a lot to do with it. He couldn’t quite handle the material. Still sporting that snazzy blue hair, though, Ray Alder came out mid way through and did Desperation II as he did on the disk, and he was great, but he couldn’t carry it for the whole group. Their best number was their last – a kick-ass, speedy cover of Synchronicity II!!! Loved that! Didn’t think I’d be hearing any Police at ProgPower but it was cool!!

Band 2 – Mercenary: This German straight-up metal group (lots of Power, no Prog, LOL!) was technically very good – but this stuff isn’t my cup of tea. After a couple of songs – I gave it the old college try, LOL – I headed to the relative quiet of the lobby and stopped by IO and bought a Vanden Plas t-shirt. I thought they had a great lead guitarist, but I just can’t get into the growling. They use two vocalists for that though, which I found interesting. The singer sings clean – the bass player turn on the cookie monster vox. Not my speed, no pun intended.

We came back in when they were done and went down to the floor to claim our spot for Vanden Plas. Well, while we were there, we happened to notice a dude who we affectionately named Karaoke Man…..no one we talked to knew what song (or even what band) was coming through the PA system right then, but I think it was Karaoke Man’s favorite song of all time!!!! He didn’t make a sound, actually, but he had ALL the moves down and knew every word of that song – it was very entertaining!! I wasn’t the only one who snapped a picture of him!!!! Way to go, dude!!

Band 3 – Vanden Plas: WOW!!!! I was really looking forward to seeing these guys, and they were even better than I thought they’d be!!!!! Andy Kuntz is an incredible, high energy, kick ass front man who knows how to play up to the crowd and Stephan Lill simply rules on guitar!! Totally AWESOME! They did stuff from all of their CD’s, including I Can See, Soul Survives, Iodic Rain, Nightwalker, Cold Wind, and of course Rainmaker!!! (I know I missed some – that isn’t the complete set list! Sorry! I can rarely remember set lists unless I write them down – and who had time for that!?!?!?!) A wonderful, moving, thrilling performance. They flew into first place on my personal hit list and I am thinking it is going to be tough to budge them….keep reading to see if they lasted out the rest of the show! If you don’t know this band, hop online right now and get both Beyond Daylight and The God Thing. It was sooooooo cool to hear other people after the show and even still the next day commenting on how great Vanden Plas was, or how they didn’t really know them, but ran out and got the CD right after they saw them, etc….I think that stuff is so cool! And SO WARRANTED!!!!

Band 4 – Nightwish: Well, this is one interesting band. They have a huge following and the floor was packed 10 minutes before they came on, with the crowd shouting for them…Well…I lasted about three songs and then I headed back in to the lobby….I was still on a Vanden Plas high and frankly Nightwish really isn’t my thing either. Their cover of Over the Hills and Far Away is one of the worst ever in life, LOL, and I didn’t want to hear it. I did, however, want to hear Sleeping Sun, which is the only song of theirs I like – and I don’t just like it, I love it!! So there I was chit-chatting with Dave in the lobby, when I heard the first couple of notes….I shot up and bolted into the hall, ran down front and sat on the steps, watched, listened, LOVED IT, applauded like crazy, and then scooted back out. I hear they also did a version of Crazy Train?!?!?! Oh Gawd, I can’t even imagine that, LOL! But Sleeping Sun was fabulous and I’m soooo glad they played it!!! Vanden Plas is still solidly in #1.

Band 5 – Symphony X: These guys are just great – they are old pros at Prog Power now! Russell Allen has a killer voice and Michael Romeo is an incredibly gifted musician in general and guitarist in particular. They cranked up the volume and did a terrific set, albeit they sounded a tad off – like the mix wasn’t quite right or something – and they did old stuff and new stuff – lots off The Odyssey of course. But, the scuttlebutt was that they were going to do the entire song The Odyssey, all 24+ minutes of it….well, they rocked on and the set rocked on, no sign of it… “Thank you and goodnight” and they were off the stage….OK, now they came back for an encore….and voila – there it was!!! They did it at about 1 am….24 glorious minutes! Killer!!!! They were great – I really enjoyed them!!! COOL!!!! Vanden Plas is still #1 though!

After the show that night a couple of the VP faithful piled into Bryant’s hotel suite and had a few and talked about the day – and listened to the new Lacuna Coil – now THAT was cool!!! Finally got to bed abound 3:45 – ouch!!!!

Day 2, Saturday

Lunch! Needless to say we all slept way past breakfast, LOL…but were awake – and hungry – for the Sym X lunch on Saturday. It was a cool affair – good food and good conversations with Sym X fans, of course – and with Sym X! Thanks, Jax! Can't wait to see the group shot, LOL!

Managed to catch the abysmal first quarter of the Notre Dame game – my Irish weren’t looking so good, as it was 12-0 Wash State when we left to return to Earthlink for….

Band 1 – Pagan’s Mind: Well….this an interesting group. I have heard their CD once and let’s just say they are heavily influenced by Dream Theater. So, then, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see the lead singer run out onto the stage looking exactly like James LaBrie, now shouldn’t I? LOL! These guys were good, no issues there – and they were entertaining. I’ll give their next CD a listen when it comes out, but honestly if I want to listen to Dream Theater I'll go for the real thing. No worries, Vanden Plas is still #1.

Band 2 – Secret Sphere: WELL! I had done a little bit of reading on this group from Italy and had pretty high expectations for them. Oh well. Not much to say here. They didn’t sound good and their songwriting, is a little odd, but I’ll give them this – their lead singer is a total riot! He was really funny – too bad for them they weren’t at the Improv! Next!!!

Right after Secret Sphere finished I took a fast walk over to the Vinyl restaurant next door for the Vanden Plas signing….woo hoo! “Bonjour, Andy, ca va?” He looked pleasantly surprised…”Ah, oui!! Et vous, ca va?” Cool! “Bien sur, ca va bien, tres bien ici!!” Got a chance to talk to everyone – a bunch of cool guys who were so happy to playing at ProgPower!! Then I bolted back to the hall, and before I even got to the door, I heard…..

Band 3 – Circle II Circle: WOW WOW WOW!!!! I opened the door and stopped for a second – cool, that’s Zak!!! – and then tried to get onto the floor….it was packed to the gills – even the stairs down to the floor were packed….I couldn’t move and I could barely see. Alas, I slithered back up the stairs and back to the seats, deciding that hearing AND seeing the show was way more important than trying to jostle for some pics – and indeed it was!!! These guys were incredible!!!! I’ve had their Watching in Silence CD since it came out and have listened to it dozens of times….and for as great as it is, they blew the CD away live!!! They opened with Watching in Silence and next was (I think – please don’t quote me on the CIIC set list!!) Out of Reach….then they swapped off and on --- CIIC, then Savatage, then CIIC….so next up was quite a surprise…when Matt LaPorte stepped forward, pointed to the sky, and then launched into a gorgeous rendition of Labyrinths…which led right into Follow Me – and as soon as the first note came out of Zak’s mouth I was blown away --- Savatage!!!! With Zak!!!!! (I never got to see Zak with Savatage!) WOW! Then back to CIIC – then back to Savatage --- Turns to Me….AWESOME!! Then back to CIIC….then Savatage - Taunting Cobras (Zak enjoyed our singing, LOL!)…then CIIC…then….then….he looked stage left and said “OK, now it’s YOUR turn” and introduced Jon Oliva….who shouted hello to us all, took over at keys and immediately began Edge of Thorns….and when Zak sang it was stunning….then one more CIIC, then back to Savatage….none other than Gutter Ballet. Jon and Zak shared the vocals and it brought the house down – the whole place was going crazy!!!! Dave for one was in total shock when they were done – and he was not alone – there were a ton of people who were so stoked – it was way cool!!! For the record, I think the other CIIC songs were Sea of White, Into the Wind, and Walls. But I’m sorry, I couldn’t get over the Savatage –INCREDIBLE! Is Vanden Plas still #1??? Ummm….not sure…stay tuned….

Band 4 – Evergrey: Well honestly I felt a little sorry for these guys – having to come on after Circle to Circle…..like Pagan’s Mind, I had heard one of their CD’s before but it didn’t register with me…well….unlike PM, by the time they finished I knew who they were! AWESOME JOB!!!! These guys are giants among the metal community – literally! They are huge!!! And when all three of them (sans the drummer) start headbanging it is quite a sight to see!!!! Tom’s hair must fly 10’ in the air!!!! They guys were absolutely great – I loved their set from beginning to end, hard stuff to quiet stuff and everything in between. The over the top song, though, was the 9 minute long Trilogy of the Damned….mostly just piano and vocals, with a short but beautiful guitar solo in the middle….and incredible song, done beautifully…. “Now, there’s something nice in the middle of a metal show, huh!” said Tom, after they finished that one….Oh yeah, Tom, it certainly was. When they were finished I ran out and got two of their CD’s they were definitely my surprise band and I’m really glad I got to see them. An interesting thing to note about these guys --- they have one hell of a guitar tech. I’ve never seen one like him before and I doubt I ever will again. He took great care of them. I just wish he had been wearing a shirt, though. LOL. Is Vanden Plas still #1? Not sure, not sure….Evergrey, for as much as I loved their set, didn’t dislodge them. Jury’s still out on CIIC – did they edge out Vanden Plas?

And then, the AC was even colder….for the last band of ProgPowerIV….

Band 5 - Rage: German metal. Loud German metal. Deafeningly loud. Ear splitting, even. And the first – and only - mosh pit of the event. I’ve seen some other posts about it and I wasn’t down on the floor and didn’t see the dude they are calling Bandana Man– but it seemed from the seats to be a polite one, as far as mosh pits go….they were slamming into each other for the first minute or so of the song, then they’d hang on each other and give the metal sign and watch the band. Then at the beginning of the next song, they’d mosh, then stop and watch. I guess it was worse if you were on the floor – it looked pretty harmless from the seats. There were also three guys at the back on the floor who were nearly the size of the Evergrey dudes, and with hair equally as long, who were headbanging in perfect symmetry….lots of hair flying!!! Anywho….well you notice how little I’m saying about the band. There’s a reason for that. Mercenary wasn’t my cup of tea and neither was Rage. No thanks. We left when the drum solo began. Should have left after Evergrey. Oh well!!!

And alas, it was over…said a few goodbyes and thanked Glenn again and headed out, back to the hotel….had an early flight this morning….

A good morning though - woke up to find out the my Irish had come back form a 19-0 deficit to win the game 29-26 in OT!! GOOOO IRISH!

It was an incredible two days. I can’t wait for next year….AWESOME! Some pics are forthcoming - I didn't shoot as many rolls as I thought - couldn't get on the floor for CIIC...but I shot 120+/- of Vanden Plas and another three rolls of other bands mostly from the seats...I'll post the good ones!

Ah yes…..Vanden Plas or Circle to Circle…..well they were both wonderful….and very different…..so finally….no, Circle to Circle didn’t edge out Vanden Plas. They were still my number one. CIIC is more like 1-A than 2, but I have to put Vanden Plas first. Can’t really explain why, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

My take homes? Vanden Plas T, Circle to Circle long sleeve T, Iron Maiden - Dance of Death, Evergrey - Recreation Day, Evergrey - In Search of Truth, Superior - Younique, and Xen - 84000 Dharma Doors.

If you are still awake after reading this whole thing, my hat’s off to you!!!!!

Cheers everyone – hope y’all had a great weekend!

 

[Alberik]

Pretty lame list of bands ... RAGE, I mean, c'mon!!! And PAGAN'S MIND?!?

And the 'leaders of the pack' - VANDEN PLAS, SYMPHONY X and EVERGREY? It's too predictable I wouldn't touch this with a ten foot pole.

Btw, have you heard the new DEAD SOUL TRIBE? Now, that is something worth seeing and watching! Devon puts to shame all of the above.

 

[lizard]

well I for one can't say I'd care for the whole list of bands but out of those three "leaders" I would have definitely picked VP and Evergrey.

thx for the report! (my fingers started hurting after reading the 24th paragraph! so much typing!!)

 

[Demonspell]

They did Trilogy Of The Damned live? Very cool...

 

[ProgMetalFan]

Evergrey is amazing.